head to head · open source
Invoice Ninja vs ExpenseOwl
Invoice Ninja has 10,464 GitHub stars, 2,793 forks, 945 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ExpenseOwl has 1,527 stars, 155 forks, 58 open issues and last shipped 1.0 years ago. Invoice Ninja leads on adoption by 585% (10,464 vs 1,527 stars). Invoice Ninja is written in PHP under a custom or non-standard licence; ExpenseOwl is written in HTML under MIT. Invoice Ninja has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, ExpenseOwl 10%. Invoice Ninja was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Invoice Ninja | ExpenseOwl | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 10K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | PHP | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2025-10-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 155 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Invoice Ninja if
- You weight community size — 10K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ExpenseOwl if
- You want the ExpenseOwl feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You evaluated both and ExpenseOwl fits your workflow better
About Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja 5 Invoice Ninja Version 5 is here! We've taken the best parts of version 4 and added the most requested features to create an invoicing application like no other. Check the Invoice Ninja YouTube Channel to get up to speed, or try the Demo now. Choose your setup Hosted: Our hosted version is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution. You're up and running in under 5 minutes, with no need to worry about hosting or server infrastructure. Self Hosted: For those who prefer to manage their own hosting and server infrastructure. This version gives you full control and flexibility. All Pro and Enterprise…
read the full Invoice Ninja overview →
About ExpenseOwl
ExpenseOwl Why Create This? • Features • Screenshots Installation • Usage • Contributing ExpenseOwl is an extremely simple self hosted expense tracking system with a modern monthly pie chart visualization and cashflow showcase. Why Create This? There are a ton of amazing projects for expense tracking across GitHub (Actual, Firefly III, etc.). They're all incredible! I just don't find them fast and simple . They offer too many features I never use (like accounts or complex budgeting). Don't get me wrong! They're amazing when complexity is needed, but I wanted something dead simple that gives…
read the full ExpenseOwl overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Invoice Ninja or ExpenseOwl more popular?
Invoice Ninja has 10,464 GitHub stars and ExpenseOwl has 1,527. Invoice Ninja has the larger community by that measure.
Are Invoice Ninja and ExpenseOwl free?
Both are open source. Invoice Ninja has no licence declared in this registry, and ExpenseOwl is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Invoice Ninja and ExpenseOwl?
Invoice Ninja is written in PHP and ExpenseOwl in HTML. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Invoice Ninja or ExpenseOwl?
Choose Invoice Ninja if you want the larger community (10,464 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose ExpenseOwl if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.